


I just needed to get it off my chest (v2)

by acertainperson



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Coming Out, Gay Will Byers, Good Sibling Jonathan Byers, Growing Up, Happy Will Byers, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Protective Jonathan Byers, Sad Will Byers, Will Byers Gets a Break, Will Byers Needs a Hug, jonathan is always there for will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-05
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:46:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26844610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acertainperson/pseuds/acertainperson
Summary: Will has a secret he needs to tell. Luckily, his brother Jonathan is always there for him. Even in the middle of the night. (Rewritten version of my earlier fanfic of the same name, itll remain up)
Relationships: Jonathan Byers & Will Byers
Comments: 5
Kudos: 44





	I just needed to get it off my chest (v2)

**Author's Note:**

> Ive been playing this song in the background. https://lyricstranslate.com/en/sorge-dich-nicht-worry-not.html  
> Just in case you want some extra mood.

Hawkins, Indiana, 1985. Most of the residents of this town, in which surprisingly much happened, had gone to sleep. Among those that had not, however, was Will Byers.

However, this time, what kept Will up was not an interdimensional monster. This time, the demons that kept Will awake were not physical beings. No, this time, the demons that took his sleep were inner demons.

Both Lonnie, his biological father, and Troy, his school bully had constantly called him a queer. A fag. All sorts of nasty words. But these memories didn’t stop him from sleeping. What did was the realization that actually, they had both been right about him.

As much as Will had promised himself, no, sworn to himself, that he would never allow this to happen, he had to admit that he had fallen in love anyway. And not just that, Mike was also his best friend, and he was unavailable. He knew that he couldn’t stop him from loving El. And that Mike, while he loved Will as a friend, would never love him like this. 

Will had tried to hold on to his innocence. To his younger days. To play D&D with the others for the rest of all eternity. But as it stood, Will had to accept it. He had to grow up at some point. And the longer he tried to deny it, the longer he fought this fact, the more likely it was that he would lose his friends. All of them.

If only he could tell someone about it. Anyone. But if he came out to the world, how would they react? He was a freak. He knew that much.  
How would Mike react? There was no way he would ever tell Mike. Not as long as he still felt for Mike.

Dustin? Maybe a good second choice, but not the first. Dustin lacked the seriosity, he felt.

Not Lucas. He knew how Lucas was. Sceptical. Of everything. And pessimistic too. Not a good choice.

The girls? Well, El was Mikes girlfriend, there was no way he would tell her. Even if she understood what he meant to tell her. As for Max, sure, californians had the reputation of being open to the world, but how could he entrust THIS kind of secret onto someone whom he had barely known for a year?  
There was no way he could tell his mom. She would get hysterical if she knew the truth. Protect and baby her boy even more than she already did. Exactly the opposite of what he wanted her to do.

Surely, Mr. Clarke wouldn’t mind, but telling something like that to a teacher? Even if it was someone like Mr. Clarke, that would be awkward as hell. 

It seemed like he had no choices, but then, he remembered another person, and he wondered how he had not gotten that idea immediately.

Jonathan. His older brother. The one person he trusted even more than Mike. Jonathan would never, ever hate him for being who he is. In fact, that was the very thing he had always tried teaching Will. “You shouldn’t like something just because someone says you should.” That had always been what Jonathan had taught him all these years. Plus, Jonathan had promised him something. If Will ever needed his brother, for whatever, even if it was in the middle of the night, he would be there for him. Because that’s what a good older brother does. Or at least, should do.

Will got out of his bed, then walked over to his brother’s room. He lifted his hand, but hesitated for a second. Then, he knocked on the door, using the secret knock that they had agreed upon when Jonathan made this promise all these years ago.

Jonathan was only half asleep when he heard his brother’s knocking on the door. He got up and walked to the door. Whatever the reason was that Will invoked his promise at this time of night, it had to be something very important. The look on the face of his younger brother, whose height was now beginning to catch up to his own, confirmed his suspicion immediately.

“Can we talk?” Will asked, “Like, just us?” Jonathan nodded. He closed the door behind them and locked it. “Whatever happens in this room, stays in this room.” Jonathan said reassuringly. He sat down on his bed next to Will. “So, what is it that keeps you up at night?” he asked. “Well, you know...” Will began, “You know how I always said that I wouldn’t fall in love, ever?” “So, you did?” he asked. Will nodded, but Jonathan could tell that there was more to it.

He didn’t want to press the matter. Whatever it was, he knew that letting Will proceed in his own pace was probably the better idea. “And well, you know how you always told me that I shouldn’t like something because someone says I should?” Jonathan nodded. He didn’t understand how the two connected, but Will was no idiot. He would get to the point, he was sure of that.

“Well, you know, I’ve been wondering if that applies for people too.” Things were starting to make sense to Jonathan now. “Well, I suppose it’s true for people as well, in a sense.” he replied, “So, what is it you’re trying to say?”

“What I mean is, if everyone told you that pizza is great, but only salami pizza is allowed, and so you never try any pizza for years, until one day…” Will began sobbing, and Jonathan put an arm around his brother. “Take your time.” he reassured. “Until one day, you try pineapple pizza and you love it, but you know you can’t tell anyone because if you did, everyone would laugh at you. Insult you. Bully you, even.”

Jonathan had a pretty good grasp of what his little brother was attempting to tell him. “So, you mean to tell me you’re-” “What I mean is,” Will said, about to break into tears, “What I mean is that the reason why I never fell in love with anyone is that I always looked in the wrong place.” “So if you’ve been looking in the wrong place...” Jonathan said, “I guess that makes the right place for you to look other boys?” Will nodded, before breaking down into tears. Jonathan pulled him into a hug, letting his brother know that he was there for him, until Will calmed down again. 

“Y-you don’t hate me or anything, do you?” Will asked. “Hate you?” Jonathan replied, “Will Byers, how do your think that I could ever hate you? Really, I’m proud of you. Proud that you told me. That must’ve been hard.”

“But.. I’m a freak.” Will sobbed. “Yes. Yes you are.” Jonathan agreed, “But why does that need to be a bad thing? I’d much rather have my brother be a unique little freak with all his quirks that make him the great guy he is than a boring, run of the mill, normal person who doesn’t stand out. Being different is what makes us special.”

Will smiled. He knew Jonathan would never, at least not intentionally, do anything to hurt him. That he would accept Will for what he is. No, for WHO he is. He might be gay, but at least Jonathan gave him the feeling that there was normality in his being different.

“Thanks for being there for me.” Will said quietly. “Nothing you should thank me for.” Jonathan said, “Cause that’s what a good older brother should do, you know?”


End file.
